Dutch consumer groups plan legal action against Booking.com over hotel prices

Two Dutch consumer groups said on Wednesday they are preparing a legal claim against Booking.com over what they allege are inflated hotel prices charged to customers since 2013.

The Consumer Competition Claims Foundation and the Consumers' Association said Booking.com has violated competition and consumer protection laws for more than a decade. They claim Dutch consumers have suffered hundreds of millions of euros in financial harm due to the company’s pricing practices.

The groups said their research shows Booking.com broke the rules by preventing hotels from offering lower prices on their own websites or on competing platforms. They are now seeking affected customers to join the legal action.

In 2024, the European Union’s top court ruled that such pricing restrictions may reduce competition but are not necessarily illegal under EU competition law.